MPR News editor-at-large and retired host Gary Eichten has worn many hats during his 40-plus-year career at Minnesota Public Radio, including news director, special events producer and station manager. He has served as host for Minnesota Public Radio's live, special events news coverage, and has hosted all of the major news programs on Minnesota Public Radio, including Midday, which he hosted for more than 20 years.
A graduate of St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota, Eichten began his career at Minnesota Public Radio as a student announcer at KSJR (Minnesota Public Radio's first station). Among the honors Eichten has received during his career is the Corporation for Public Broadcasting award for best local news program. He also assisted in the development of two Peabody award-winning documentaries. In 2007, he was inducted into the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting's Hall of Fame. Eichten has also been awarded the prestigious 2011 Graven Award by the Premack Public Affairs Journalism Awards Board for his contribution to excellence in the journalism profession.
October 11, 2005 - Jerry Bell, president of Twins Sports Incorporated, visits Midday to discuss the team and elusive new stadium. Bell also answers listener call-in questions.
October 6, 2005 - Playwright Edward Albee, best known for writing "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," says art should be dangerous. Albee speaks live from the Westminster Town Hall Forum in downtown Minneapolis.
October 3, 2005 - One of the great voices of American theater has fallen silent. August Wilson, the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and one-time St. Paulite, died of liver cancer Sunday in Seattle. He was 60 years old.
September 27, 2005 - Minnesota-born journalist and Washington insider Al Eisele stepped down this September as editor of the influential political newspaper he co-founded, "The Hill." Eisele's career traced a broad arc, from dabbling in minor league baseball, to covering the White House, to working there as press secretary for Vice President Walter Mondale.
September 23, 2005 - Garrison Keillor is a busy man these days. On top of his wildly popular public radio show "A Prairie Home Companion," he recently finished filming a movie based on the show, started writing a syndicated newspaper column, and now he's out with a new book. Keillor spoke about the poetry anthology he edited, "Good Poems for Hard Times," in Edina (Barnes & Noble - Galleria).
September 20, 2005 - State supreme court justices, attorneys, and social workers from across the country convene in Bloomington for a national summit on how to improve America's child protection systems. Why are the systems perceived to be broken, and how might they be fixed?
September 19, 2005 - MPR’s Catherine Winter and Stephanie Hemphill present an American RadioWorks documentary titled “No Place for a Woman.” The documentary explores the legal landmark and legacy for women’s rights in the northern Minnesota’s Iron Range.
September 16, 2005 - Voices of Minnesota pays a visit to two of the state's foremost architects. Ralph Rapson, who designed the original Guthrie Theater, shaped two generations of architects as the dean of the University of Minnesota's school of architecture. Rapson also did a stint at MIT, where he mentored his future colleague Leonard Parker, who created the Minneapolis Convention Center, the Humphrey Institute and Minnesota Public Radio's St. Paul studios.
September 8, 2005 - As part of the Meet the Candidates series, Midday presents interviews with six mayoral candidates…St. Paul mayoral candidates include Green Party candidate Elizabeth Dickinson, incumbent Mayor Randy Kelly, and former City Councilman Chris Coleman. Minneapolis mayoral candidates include Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin, incumbent Mayor R.T. Rybak, and Green Party candidate Farheen Hakeem.
September 2, 2005 - It's Minnesota Public Radio Day at the Minnesota State Fair and Governor Tim Pawlenty takes the stage at Carousel Park to answer questions from his constituents. Topics include stadiums, Hurricane Katrina disaster, death penalty, Minnesota National Guard, and taxes amongst others.